Pages

Wednesday, 4 February 2015

"A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier." Tom Stoppard

This has become a nice alternative to the usual side dish, and is a favourite for when we braai. Fresh, crunchy and healthy!Mushroom and Broccoli SaladThe How To:1) Steam (about 250g) broccoli for 3-5 minutes, must be cooked but still crunchy. This is the bottom layer of your salad.2) Cut slices of raw mushrooms and place a layer of it on top of the broccoli.3) Mix the sauce. I usually use what I have in my fridge and any of these combos work well: half a cup of greek or plain yogurt, 3 tablespoons of cream cheese or mayo, a teaspoon of honey or syrup, 2 chopped chives or spring onions, 1 sliced gherkin (optional), salt, pepper, paprika.4) Add the sauce as the final layer. Finish off with a dash of paprika for presentation purposes. ;)

Friday, 30 January 2015

There is
something disturbing of looking into the eyes of, let’s say, a baker, who was
once a dreamer, a dreamer who dreamed of being, let’s say, a musician. But, whose
dreams were placed on hold, thinking that he/she will get to them someday. As
time passes, someday gets stuck between sticky-dough fingers, slowly
suffocating until it withdraws entirely. We learn to yield to our complacency and
betray our destiny. Then, the treasure that we always imagined we would find,
that which we longed for, becomes a memory, becomes something that our betrayal
makes us now seem undeserving of having. This is a lie, this is fear.

In the book, The Alchemist, you experience this. You
tag along with a Shepherd-boy who sweeps you off to Spain and to the desert and
then jointly, you satisfy your thirst with some overdue introspection. It makes
you think of your own dreams and aspirations and those that you've long-forgotten. What are you doing or going to do to achieve them? The Alchemist signifies, that when
you want something bad enough, all the Universe conspires to help you to
achieve it. If you find where your heart is, there your treasure is also. It's an interesting read and perhaps, it will help re-kindle some of those long-forgotten aspirations, though it may come
at a hefty toll.

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Comfort food for me means: vleis, rys en aartapples (meat, rice and potatoes), but since Antonie and I are trying to eat less refined carbs, and less carbs in general, we have needed to start being more creative with our meals. Last week we ate baby marrow spaghetti, which we used as spaghetti in a chicken stir-fry (yum). And Monday night we tried out cauliflower rice. It's very easy to make, and tricks you- by making you think that there is actually rice on your plate. I think the below is the most simple way to make it - I will definitely try a few variations of this in the future (for example, use it in a stir-fry, make fried rice, add peas/sweetcorn to it...).

Simple Cauliflower RiceHow To:

1) Grate cauliflower in a microwavable dish

2) Microwave it for 3 minutes

3) Season it as desired (we used salt, pepper and paprika with a dollop of greek yogurt)

Wednesday, 14 January 2015

Last year
my family and I all did the Myers-Briggs personality test. After stating your choice
for each of the (approximately 80) questions, your personality type is provided
by means of a 4-letter combination, e.g. ESTJ. You are one of sixteen different
types, which can be divided into four categories: Analysts, Idealists,
Sentinels (Guardians) and Artisans. My family
and I have read up a lot about it since then, sent each other funny memes, and
when someone does/ says something, we jokingly respond with something like: “Well
that’s because you’re an ENFP” or “It’s because of your J”. We each wrote one
of our favourite quotes on a blackboard this holiday, only realising afterwards
how well it reflects each of our personality types. We have discussed and scrutinised
all the realms of the test, that we are actually getting bored of it and
looking for a new test to try out.

Knowing
the types of my family and some friends, though, has helped me understand where
they get their energy from (I or E), how they take in information (S or N), make
decisions (T or F), and organise their world (J or P). I am an INFJ, which is
considered the rarest of all the sixteen types (which my INFJ friend and I were
contemplating if that’s a good or bad thing). Nevertheless, knowing my type has
been quite liberating. There is a lot of reading material about what INFJ
strengths tend to be and what INFJ weaknesses tend to be, and many more
interesting topics. Some famous INFJs are: Mandela, Ghandi, Batman and Elsa
(from Frozen). It has
also been useful for gift suggestions, book recommendations, and so forth. Now,
if I want to buy a gift for someone, I quickly google ‘gift ideas for ISTJs’ or
if I’m interested in reading a book I look-up what is recommended for my type.

So I
dedicate this piece to all my INFJ associates, idealists, confidants,
creative wordsmiths, and simply, plain weirdos ;)…

THE REAL
SELFIE

I have
met many parts of my Self. And each Self has its place.

I greet
my Organised Self behind the work desk, as it tidies up its space.

Creative
Self comes over when the house needs a new look.

And
Insightful Self is enclosed between the covers of a book.

My
Dreamer Self walks the path between Narnia and Rivendell.

While
Optimistic Self drops two pennies in tomorrow’s wishing-well.

I never
want to miss a drink with Fun Self, when it comes into town,

whereas
Loner Self pulls the covers over my head when it doesn’t want to be found.

Sometimes
my Selfs collide, and Weird Self is left standing tall,

And it
takes the liberty to invite Unorthodox, Odd, and Geeky Self to the ball.

My
Save-The-World Self reaches for a cape and settles the world's mess.